446 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 1 - Part 2 - Book 38 - Maturing in God’s Word - Part 2

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 1 * PART 2 * BOOK 38 Maturing in God’s Word - Part 2 "... which is the head, even Christ." Paul never refers to us believers as sheep or Christ as the shepherd. Psalm chapter 23, everyone knows that. The good shepherd chapter. Instead Paul uses the analogy of Christ is the Head, and we’re the Body. What a difference! Ephesians 4:15b "...which is the head, even Christ:" It’s a term that Paul and only Paul uses over and over, that we are the Body and He is the head. The Body of Christ, the True Gentile Body, The True Church is only a Pauline doctrine. No other portion of Scripture, - the four gospels, the Old Testament, the Book of Acts, Revelations,- none of it speak of the Body of Christ, and there’s a reason for that. "For as the body (this human body) is one, and hath many members, (fingers, hands, toes, eyes, ears, and so forth) and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ." (Or the implication is, the Body of Christ) The Body of Christ is not just one person, the Body of Christ is not just one great evangelist, or some great Bible scholar, but rather the Body of Christ is every believer from the greatest to the least of all believers since Paul’s conversion, and we all function as one. I Corinthians 12:13 14. For the body is not one member, but many." Now we won’t take time to read the rest of those verses, but I would like you to come on down to verse 27. I Corinthians 12:27 "Now ye (as he writes to us) are the body of Christ, and members in particular." In other words, the Body of Christ is a big Body we have been baptized into by the Holy Spirit, but, does God lose sight of when that happens. Let’s also look at the Body of Christ in Ephesians chapter 1. Remember the Book of Ephesians is a positional Book, God placed us in the Body and being a member of the Body of Christ is a positional thing. Ephesians 1:22-23a No, He gave it to the Church which is His Body, and that makes a big difference. Because normally people think of the Church as any building on the corner, regardless what the handle may be, it’s still a Church, but that’s not the Church that Paul’s talking about. He’s talking about the Church which is His Body, which hopefully most of these Churches sitting on the corner will have some of their people in the Body at least. Let’s begin at verse 14. Ephesians 2:14 Jew and Gentile in the Body of Christ. Romans 3:9a (Gentiles) Because beginning with Israel’s experience in Egypt, what did God tell the Jews? Don’t ever take that away from them, but now with Paul and the Age of Grace, they’ve lost that place of privilege, and now Paul can say, "there is no difference." Now read on. Romans 3:9 Now come across the page in chapter 3 and let’s look at verse 21 and 22. Romans 3:21 All Scripture is profitable. That takes you back to Genesis 1:1 and to the very last verse in Revelation chapter 22. Romans 3:21b-22 Don’t you love the way the verse ends? In today’s sports language we would say, "God has leveled the playing field." The Jew, the Gentile, and members of the Body of Christ. Always remember as soon as we become a member of the Body of Christ we lose our ID so far as Jew and Gentile, because we’re all one in the Body, but outside the Body they still have their distinctiveness. Now let’s come back to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians 4:16a "From whom (that is from Christ who is the Head) the whole body fitly joined together and compacted..." Like knitting the Body together. Well what was her finished product? Now reading on in verse 16. Ephesians 4:16b Now again, every part of our body has a unique function. As we get older the old arthritis begins to kick in. To make everything in the body function. Well God does the same thing with you and I in the Body of Christ, we all have a unique function. Now reading on in verse 16. Ephesians 4:16b Every part of our body function, the things that make it work are there, and it’s all) according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,..." All the parts of the Body of Christ are functioning for it’s unique purpose. "...maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Romans 7:4 Children. Now look at this verse, what is the true purpose of our being married to Christ? "That we should bring forth fruit unto God." Lost people that we can win, and by doing that we cause the Body of Christ to grow. Soul winning! So let’s get out and don’t miss a chance to witness, and win the lost, and fill up the Body of Christ. In fact another verse comes to mind to finish that thought. Romans 11:25 #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible